Development and uses for monoclonal antibodies to chemoattractant receptors

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) serve as research reagents, for dissecting the biology of chemokine and chemoattractant receptors. However mAbs are also an attractive class of therapeutic, because they are able to block large protein-protein interactions, and are generally easier and more predictable for clinical development. mAbs are also capable of depleting leukocyte subsets, such as pathogenic cell types, through processes such as phagocytosis, complement fixation and ADCC. Chemokine receptors are probably one of the best classes of molecules for marking different leukocyte subsets, such as Th1, Th2, Th17 and Tfh cells, and hence should provide a means for selective depletion. This short review will discuss the uses of mAbs to chemoattractant receptors, as research reagents and as therapeutics.